No Choice to Make
by lilyayne01
Summary: This is my idea of where the Season 2 could head with Slade. Of course with Oliver and Felicity. Slade forces Oliver to make another choice between two women.
1. Chapter 1

"Do it. Now."

Felicity cringed at the command, but moved to obey. Once upon a time, she had found Australian accents sexy. Not anymore. She limped toward the bank of computers that had been set up in the room. She hurt. She had always wondered how Oliver, Digg and Sara managed to keep going despite all their injuries. She understood now. It was because they had no choice but to keep moving, just like she had to now. She tried to compartmentalize. Tried not to think about the pain shooting from her shoulder down her arm. Slade had dislocated it at one point while trying to convince her to follow his orders. Now that she was doing just that, he had generously popped it back into place. She had cried out both times, though she had tried not to. Blood ran freely from where he had split her cheek open and dripped down her neck. Her ribs, which she was assuming were bruised and not actually broken, reminded her with every breath how much it had hurt to be kicked repeatedly.

Felicity stumbled and bit back a cry as Slade shoved her forward from behind, impatient for her to begin her work at the computer. He shoved her down roughly into the chair and she clenched her teeth at the pain from her jarred shoulder.

"If you say anything to him, she'll regret it." His voice was near her ear, and she couldn't help flinching away from him. "Get to work."

Felicity began typing, trying to keep her fingers from trembling. She was supposed to hack into the computer system at the foundry, so that Slade would be able to deliver his message to Oliver over the web cam. She had refused at first, not wanting to be the one to help deliver the message to Oliver. She had withstood the threats and the beatings. However, Slade had turned on the other woman then, and Felicity couldn't be responsible for the other her pain as well. She had been warned not to talk to Oliver, although apparently at some point she would be in the video frame for him to see. She had come up with a plan though. She knew what Slade had planned and knew what it would do to Oliver. She couldn't let that happen. He had already been through too much and shouldered too much guilt for things that were beyond his control. She wouldn't let herself be another dark mark on his soul. Realistically, she knew there was little chance of either of them getting out of this alive. She was going to send a message to Oliver across the bottom of his screen, only visible from his side of the conversation. She was going to make his choice for him. She typed furiously, coding the message quickly, knowing that unless Slade knew computer codes, he wouldn't catch it. She kept her fingers crossed mentally as she worked.

"Done." She sighed, blowing out a slow breath with protesting ribs.

"Show time." Slade smiled as he stepped in front of Felicity to face the monitor.

Oliver whirled away as Digg struck out at him as they sparred. He glanced again at Felicity's empty chair, wondering when she would get here. It wasn't like her to come in so late. He would have been worried if she hadn't sent Digg a text last night explaining that she had some things to do and would be late. It would soon be going on twenty-four hours since he had seen her and he couldn't help the sliver of worry that refused to leave him.

"Felicity should be here any time now." Digg said, eyeing her empty chair as well.

"It's not like her to be away so long." Oliver glanced over at his friend to see the same worried look in his eyes.

Before he could voice any further concerns, the beep from Felicity's computers caught their attention. They were a few steps from the computers when the screen went static for a few seconds, before clearing to show Slade. Oliver stopped in mid step. It didn't make sense that Slade was able to do this. He knew that after Tockman had corrupted their system, Felicity had rebuilt it stronger than before, assuring that no one would be able to hack into their system again. He felt his stomach bottoming out as Slade addressed him.

"Hello kid. Nice to see you again." Slade smirked at him from the monitor. "I think it's time for us to finish this, time for me to fulfill my promise. You've done a good job protecting your Mother and your sister. But did you really think I would be that obvious. I've studied you for years now. I know exactly how to hurt you, how to make you feel the pain I've felt all these years."

Oliver took a step closer to the monitor. Although his face and posture gave away nothing of what he was feeling, he was desperate for Slade to get to the point. His heart hammered in his chest and he refused to think the thoughts that were crowding into his head. It couldn't be…

"You might be wondering how I managed to hack into your computer system. I have a good many skills, but computer technology isn't my strong suit. I had to have a little help." With that, Slade stepped to the side, keeping in the view of the screen. Oliver knew Slade was watching for his reaction, so he carefully kept his stoic expression when he saw Felicity.

She looked at him through the web cam, her eyes coming up to meet his. Her eyes were red rimmed, but dry. She smiled slightly, although it wobbled a little.

"

"Felicity…" her name came out on a broken breath. She shook her head slightly at him.

"I sent the text message saying she was busy, and she was. As you can see, she was a little resistant to help me at first, but I can be very persuasive. She didn't seem to care much about her own welfare, but…" Slade paused as his eyes looked past Oliver.

"Oliver, I can't find Laurel!" The fear in Sara's voice lanced through him as she came up behind him. He heard her gasp as she saw the images on the computer monitor.

"Perfect timing Sara. This next part concerns you too. As I was saying kid, she didn't seem particularly concerned with her own welfare, but when I started to torture her," The video swung to show an unconscious Laurel tied to a chair, "she came around."

"You son of a bitch!" Sara spit out. "When I find you…" Oliver put a restraining hand to her arm, silencing her.

"You won't have to look to hard. I'm inviting you all over. Oliver is going to get to make his choice again. Felicity or Laurel. Laurel or Felicity. Which one will it be Oliver? I've seen you save them both. Felicity has been with you since you became the Arrow. She's stood by your side from the beginning. Ahh, but Laurel is the one that got away. The other Lance sister. Hhhmmm…and who will Sara be pulling for?"

Slade paused to smirk, before continuing. "I've studied you Oliver. For the past two years, I've watched every move you've made. I knew exactly who I wanted to recreate this little scenario."

Oliver couldn't take it anymore, cutting in to Slade's speech, "Take me instead. Kill me and let them go. They haven't done anything to you."

Felicity shook her head at the screen, stopping when Slade stepped next to her, placing a hand on her injured shoulder. Oliver saw her flinch.

"Oh no kid. That's not how this is going to work. You will choose or I will kill them both. You have 24 hours to make your decision. I'll contact you with directions then and you'll have one hour to be here." Slade stepped toward the screen to end the video chat. "Say goodbye Felicity."

"Good bye Oliver." Felicity's voice was strong and sure. There was a finality in her tone that struck Oliver in the chest. She motioned down with her eyes as she talked. The picture froze, but at the bottom of the screen a message appeared.

_There is no choice for you to make this time Oliver. I am choosing. Save Laurel. _


	2. Chapter 2

**I apologize that this all runs together. I tried to separate the different characters points of view, but when I save it, it automatically goes back to this way. Hope you like it anyway! **

Oliver dropped into Felicity's chair, his head spinning with her message to him. _Save Laurel._ Did she really think he would accept her sacrificing herself to save someone else? He knew why she was doing it. She was facing death and still thinking about everyone but herself. She didn't want him to have to make this choice. She knew how much guilt and regret he carried from Shado's death. Did she really think making the choice herself would absolve him? He suspected she was also doing this for Detective Lance. He knew Felicity had a soft spot for him, just as the Detective had for her. How could she think it would be easier for any of them to accept her death, than Laurel's?

_She thinks that because you've never been completely honest with her about what she means to you, _he hated to admit that to himself. _You didn't want to put a target on her back. But Slade saw through it all anyway. And now…_

Sara's voice broke into his thoughts.

"I can't lose Laurel, Oliver." Her voice shook and he looked up to see the pain evident in her expression. "We just finally started talking again, not to mention what it will do to my Dad. He _can't _lose Laurel. He won't be able to stand it…"

"We. Are. Not. Sacrificing. Felicity." He enunciated each word slowly, meeting her eyes, neither of them blinking.

"I don't want to give up on Felicity. That's not what I'm saying. I like her too Oliver." Sara's voice was soft, but pleading, "But if it comes down to it, if we can only save one, I can't turn away from Laurel."

Before Oliver could respond, Digg stepped forward. He had been standing in the background and had witnessed the video message and the Felicity's hidden message. His heart had broken when he had read it.

"This is exactly what Slade wants." Two sets of eyes swung to him as he continued. "This is why he picked Felicity and Laurel. Oliver he's not asking you to choose between the two of them. He's asking you to choose between all three." He gestured to Sara as he spoke. "On the island, you didn't actually choose. You told me you jumped in front of the gun when Ivo was going to shot Sara. He took that as your choice and shot Shado instead. To Slade's way of thinking, you chose Sara. That's why he took Laurel, he's trying to make you chose Sara again. He's also very effectively splitting your loyalties. He knows that Sara is going to want to save Laurel at all costs. You won't work as well together when your end goals are divided."

Oliver closed his eyes against Digg's words. He knew he was right, but this was an impossible situation.

"I want to save Felicity too, but I can't lose Laurel…" Sara's voice trailed off. She felt horrible. She liked Felicity. The girl had always been nice to her, had accepted her readily even with her assassin past. But Laurel was her sister. She owed her and her family so much for all the years she had been gone.

"So if I choose Felicity, Laurel dies and Sara hates me. I lose her too. If I choose Laurel, I get her and Sara, but I lose Felicity." It hurt Oliver to even say that sentence.

"And Felicity has already figured that out. She's trying to take the decision out of your hands." Digg finished for him. "We need to start planning."

"Plan what? We don't even know where they are." Sara asked.

"We don't need a plan. As soon as he contacts us with the meeting information, I'll go. I'll do my best to bring them both back alive." Oliver stared at the floor as he spoke.

"And what if you can't save them both?" Sara asked, the unspoken question hanging heavy in the air.

Oliver raised his head slowly, meeting her gaze. "Then I'll die trying."

Digg had left to gather as many supplies as he could. They had argued at length about Oliver going alone. He had finally relented that they had more chance of saving Laurel and Felicity with Digg, Sara and Roy there. The plan was for Oliver and Roy to focus on Slade and Digg and Sara were to get the women. They couldn't plan anything more than that. They had no intel on where this would take place, couldn't map out the building or strategize. They were going to have to go in blind. He was worried. If Felicity was really ready to sacrifice herself so that he didn't have to make this choice, that meant she wasn't going to fight for her own life. Hell, he was worried she would do something to draw Slade's attention to her. How did you protect someone who didn't want protected?

"Oliver," Sara walked up to him, putting her hand on his chest. "I know how hard this must be for you. This is an impossible choice to make."

"I'm not making it. I will die before I do." Oliver told her. Sara could see the acceptance in his eyes of his decision.

"We'll all do our best to get everyone out of this alive. I know how much Felicity means to you-"

"Sara-"

"No, let me finish, Oliver." She smiled up at him, an understanding smile that was tinged with sadness, "I know how much she means to you. I've seen the way you look at her when you think no ones looking. I've seen how protective you are of her. I don't want you to feel bad about us. I think we are probably together for the wrong reasons. I do love you Oliver. But not like that. I want someone to look at me, the way I see you look at her. And I know, that I don't look at you that way."

"I'm sorry Sara. I didn't mean for this to happen." He knew this wasn't really the time for this, but maybe it was better to clear the air. Especially since he didn't know if he would be coming back. "I love you too."

"I don't know why you weren't with her in the first place. I'm gonna guess some misguided idea about protecting her," her smile was amused now as she looked up at him, but she quickly grew somber again, "But if-when we get her out of this, you need to step up. Don't waste your second chance."

He pulled Sara against him, engulfing her in a hug. "What about you Sara?" he asked against the top of her head.

"I had that kind of love once. I may have to see if I can get a second chance, now that I'm free." Oliver knew whom she was talking about and chuckled. They would make quite the pair.

"So are we okay?" he asked her.

"Yeah Ollie, we're okay. We need to get ready. When Slade calls, we'll only have an hour to get there." They both turned to leave.

"Oliver," he turned toward her and was surprised to see the sadness on her face, "I'll do my best to protect Felicity, but my first priority has to be Laurel."

Oliver nodded at her, before turning away. He knew how she felt.

Felicity sat on the floor in the empty room, leaning against the wall. She kept her arm folded across her body and immobilized with her other arm. In this position, the pain from her shoulder wasn't as sharp and she found she could focus on her thoughts a little better. She glanced at the sleeping form of Laurel a few feet away. Slade had decided Laurel was more trouble than she was worth awake, so he had drugged her. Felicity had half hoped he would drug her too. It wouldn't be too bad to sleep through all of this, but she didn't get that option. She figured he wanted her clear headed to do her computer work for him.

She sighed resignedly. She really didn't want to die. She wanted to hope that Oliver and the team would somehow bust in and manage to save them both. Realistically, she knew how strong Slade was. She knew what his plan entailed. She knew the chances of them both getting out of this alive were slim. She thought back to how many times Oliver had saved her life. The land mine. When he had grabbed her and jumped out the window at Queen's consolidated when the vigilantes from the Glades had attacked. The Dollmaker. She shuddered as she remembered Count Vertigo.

_Of course, I helped save him a couple of times too, _she thought with a small smile. She had helped Digg save his life the night she found out that he was the Arrow. And again at Queen's consolidated, she had struck the man ready to shoot him with a statue, knocking him down. And then she had enlisted Barry to save his life and upset Oliver that she had revealed his secret.

She didn't want to make the choice she had. She wanted to yell at Oliver, save me. But she couldn't. She wouldn't put that kind of responsibility on him. The guilt he already carried was eating him alive. She couldn't do that to someone she lo…She stopped herself in mid thought. She hadn't allowed herself to acknowledge that particle feeling before. She saw no point in doing it now. It would only make seeing him before she died that much worse.

She glanced again at Laurel. She didn't really know the woman. But she knew Detective Lance, liked him and respected him. And she knew Sara. She couldn't let their family go through losing another member.

She knew Oliver would try to save them both. But she knew the odds were going to be waited in Laurel's favor. She didn't fault anyone for that. Laurel was Oliver's first love. She was his current girlfriend's sister. She was just the IT girl. She knew Oliver cared about her and so did Digg. But, it was Laurel…

"Time to go to work, Blondie." Slade announced almost cheerfully as he entered the room, jerking her up from the floor. She bit her lip against the pain until she tasted blood. She was done letting him know that he was hurting her.

She stumbled down the hallway beside him and was dumped into the same computer chair as before.

"You know what to do. No talking unless I tell you."

_Bite me_, she thought as she began to hack into the system at the foundry again. She knew that Oliver and the team would do their best to save them both, although she didn't hold out any hope for that outcome. But she was going to do her best to give them their best shot at surviving. There wasn't much she could do, but she still had the virus the Clock King had used to blow up their system saved at the foundry. If she could access it quickly and load it on this system. Slade's computer system was also wired into the security and safety systems in the building. The virus would create havoc on all of them. If she put it on a time released delay…a surge of adrenaline had her fingers flying even faster over the keyboard.

The computer beeped a notification at exactly the 24-hour mark. Oliver and Sara stood side by side waiting. Digg and Roy stood off to the side, out of sight.

As before, the screen went static, before clearing to show Slade standing beside a seated Felicity.

"Did you sleep okay last night, kid? You've got a big decision in front of you today." Slade clamped a hand on Felicity's shoulder and Oliver noticed she didn't move a muscle in response. He couldn't help the flair of pride at how she was handling herself.

"Where's Laurel? I want to see her." Sara demanding.

"Sorry, but she's not in any shape to make an appearance right now." Slade responded, laughing.

Felicity saw the look of worry cross Sara's face before she could hide it. She wanted her focused for this fight. She ignored Slade's earlier warning, blurting out, "She's fine. She's just been drugged."

The resulting backhand to her face caught her off guard. Her chair tipped over backwards and the back of her head struck the floor. Her vision dimmed momentarily. She was then yanked off up of the floor and shoved back into her chair. She hadn't cried out during the whole ordeal. She tasted blood in her mouth. She looked at the monitor again to see the rage in Oliver's face, his jaw clenched tight.

"I'm going to kill you Slade. The way I thought I did years ago." This wasn't an Arrow voice Felicity recognized. Oliver's voice was deeper and darker than she had ever heard.

"You can try kid. One hour. Blondie is going to send the coordinates now. One hour to get here and then you make your decision." The screen went black, but not before he saw Slade roughly shove Felicity forward to the computers.

A few seconds later, a message came across the screen with the coordinates for the meeting.

Oliver walked over the glass case that held his bow, the case Felicity had designed and installed. He picked up his bow, feeling the comforting, familiar weight in his hand.

"Let's go end this." He started up the stairs, the other team members following behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

Felicity knelt in on floor, arms stretched above her head. She glanced up at the heavy chain the encircled her wrists, followed it up to where it was attached to the ceiling. There was no way for her to slip out of it. She now longer felt the pain from her shoulder. Her arms had gone numb long ago. Her head drooped forward and she fought the rush of tears. She did not want to be crying when the team got here. It would be hard enough for them as it were, without thinking that she regretted her decision. She hoped that they had gotten her message. She had realized at the last moment that her surprise for Slade would also catch them off guard, which defeated her purpose. After she had sent the information for the meeting, Slade had grabbed her to take her back to the room again. She had noticed her cell phone lying on the desktop. It wasn't hard to fake a stumble and she palmed her phone, tucking it into the waistband of her skirt. Slade had been paying very little attention to her at that point. He was too busy gloating over how he would finally have his revenge.

When Slade had pushed her back into the room with Laurel, she had quickly unlocked her phone. _One bar? Really? _ She thought to herself, as she also noticed her battery life at ten percent. She quickly dimmed the screen to conserve the batter, before typing a quick text to Oliver.

"You are full of surprises Blondie." Slade's voice had boomed behind her. She hadn't even hesitated as her fingers flew over the phone screen. In the few seconds it took him to reach her, she had deleted her text to Oliver.

He had grabbed the phone from her and examined it for a minute.

"Smart. You deleted your message, didn't you?" Felicity had looked up at him defiantly. "It doesn't matter what you sent him. This is all going to be over soon."

"For you maybe. But not for Oliver. You can't really believe that he's going to do what you want…" She had been so focused on telling him off one last time, she didn't even see him draw back. When his fist connected with her jaw, her world had gone dark.

She had woken chained up in this room. She glanced over to see Laurel chained in the same position. The woman had finally waked from the effects of the drugs right before Felicity had been taken back to the room and sent her text. Laurel looked over at her and she could see the fear in her eyes. Felicity tried to convey comfort with her gaze, but she wasn't sure how effective it was. Slade had gagged both of them and she wished desperately that she could tell the other woman not to worry, that she would be okay. Felicity took a few, long deep breaths through her nose, trying to calm her thundering heart. She didn't know how long she had been out, but the hour had to be coming to an end soon. She wanted to be strong for her team. She wanted to be as brave as they were. She wanted them to survive if she couldn't. Felicity closed her eyes for a moment and sent up a silent prayer that they had gotten her message.

**Oliver **and the team approached the building slowly, getting ready to split into teams. Oliver and Sara would go first, clearing the way for Roy and Digg. They would engage Slade, while the other two got Felicity and Laurel to safety.

He shook his head as he thought again of her text message. They had just left the foundry when his phone chimed. He was surprised to see the text from Felicity and automatically thought that it was from Slade, until he read it.

_Remember Tockman. Don't be surprised. One hour ten minutes. _

He had read it out loud to the rest of the team. Diggle had smiled fondly as he heard the words.

"She's giving us a heads up. But what? Tockman blew up her computers…" Diggle reasoned.

"She sent Tockman's own virus back to his cell phone at the bank and caused it short out. What if she was able to pull the virus from her system again when she accessed it for Slade?" Sara put in, her words coming out in a rush.

"And she's telling us that she set it for 10 minutes after the hour deadline." Roy supplied his own guess.

For a second Oliver couldn't help but be a little angry at the chances Felicity was taking. He wouldn't be able to save her, if she got herself killed before he could get there. He refused to let himself think of the damage the Mirakuru infused Slade could do to Felicity. But he had already seen some of the damage.

"She's trying to help us, to give us an edge. We need to be ready for whatever happens ten minutes in and not be taken off guard. If she does manage to surprise Slade, it might be our only advantage." Oliver instructed, "Let's make sure we don't waste it."

"Oliver, we may have one other advantage…" Sara voice trailed off as the shadows around the building began to move.

"Hello Sara."

"Nyssa…" There was a fondness in Sara's voice that Oliver was glad to hear. She needed someone special to her too.

"What are you doing here, Nyssa?" Oliver was glad for the extra help, but he didn't want to do anything to endanger Felicity or Laurel.

"I am here as a favor to Sara, because she asked. Also, I owe you a debt of gratitude." Oliver cocked his head to the side slightly in question and she continued, "You saved Sara's life after she took the venom."

Nyssa paused for a moment and her gaze met Sara's.

"Sara has told us about Slade and the mirakuru. The League has decided that this is not something that should be allowed to continue. So, for now, Arrow we are on the same side." Oliver nodded in response.

They quickly laid out their plan, such as it was. They decided to go ahead with their original plan, while the assassins would find their way in from above the building and take out as many of Slade's henchmen as possible.

It felt strange to enter the building through the front door, but they weren't trying to hide. As he reached the door, he turned around to survey his team, meeting each one's gaze.

"Remember, the first priority is getting Felicity and Laurel out. The second is Slade. Digg, you and Sara get the women and get out. Don't come back. Keep them safe. Roy, when they get out, you follow. I'll deal with Slade." He turned back to the door and Digg, Roy and Sara glanced at each other. They had had their own meeting. They would do the first part of his plan, they would get Felicity and Laurel, but he wasn't facing Slade alone.

"**Any minute now." **Slade ran a finger down the side of Laurel's face and Felicity watched Laurel tried to jerk away from him. "I wonder, Miss Lance, who will he choose?"

Slade chuckled as he walked around Laurel, leaning down to offer conspiratorially, "Personally, I think he's going to pick you. He's got so much history with you and now with your sister in the picture. The deck is kind of stacked in your favor." Slade stared at Felicity even as he said the words to Laurel. Felicity saw the women's eyes come up to meet hers.

"She doesn't even seem upset by it, does she?" He asked Laurel. Straightening away from her, he strolled toward Felicity, watching her carefully for any reaction. "Why is that I wonder? Do you think he's going to save you? Choose you?" He studied her expression, a small smile marking his lips. "No. I think you know the outcome already. You've accepted your fate. You're more like Shado than I would have thought. She wouldn't have cried or begged for her life either." He cocked his head to the side as he studied her. Felicity met his gaze head on, not flinching away from him, even as he reached a hand out to stroke over her hair. "What is it about him that inspires such strong women to such loyalty? It's too bad really…" he trailed his fingers from her hair across her collarbone and it was all she could do to hold herself steady at his touch.

"Get away from her Slade!" Oliver's voice boomed from across the room and Felicity fought the tears that threatened to erupt as Slade stepped away from her to face Oliver. It would be over soon. Listening to Slade talk to confidently about how Oliver would choose Laurel over her had hurt. She tried to tell herself that Slade couldn't know that for sure. It didn't matter anyway. The choice was made and she had been the one to make it. Slade was already beaten and didn't even know it. She lifted her chin a little higher and watched as Oliver approached.

"Welcome Oliver. I'm glad you could make it." Slade grinned at him, "Have you made your choice?"

"There is no choice to make Slade." He saw Felicity start at the words, shaking her head and mumbling behind her gag. "Let them go. You have me, I'm the one you want."

_Three more minutes Oliver. _Digg's voice sounded in his ear through their comms. _Keep him talking until we see what Felicity's diversion is._

"I don't think you get it kid. I have no intention of killing you just yet. I want you to live with the pain I've had to live with, knowing that you chose to save Sara over Shado. And then you couldn't even be man enough to tell me!" Slade anger was evident.

"I didn't choose anyone! Ivo was going to shoot Sara; I jumped in front of her and tried to get him to shoot me! He shot Shado. I didn't want that to happen." Oliver's voice shook at the last sentence. "Do you think Shado would want you to do this? To do to them what Ivo did to her?"

"I don't think she wanted to die!" Slade yelled, spittle flying from his mouth. He glared at Oliver for a minute, before his entire demeanor relaxed. He causally stepped back between Felicity and Laurel. He pulled a large knife from the scabbard at the small of his back. He trailed the tip across Laurels throat, whimpers sounding from behind her gag. He moved then to Felicity, mirroring the action with her. Felicity's gaze never left Oliver's.

_Thirty seconds Oliver, _Digg's voice came again.

"Slade, please," Felicity closed her eyes as he spoke, " please don't do this."

_Ten seconds._

Slade stepped forward between the two women again, "Times up Oliver. Make your choice."

All hell broke loose.


	4. Chapter 4

"**Times up Oliver**. Make your choice."

The words had barely left Slade's mouth when the world around them seemed to explode. The computers on the table behind Slade caught fire, shooting sparks and filling the room with smoke. The building's alarm system began to blare at deafening levels. As soon as the fire alarm started, the sprinklers began spewing water from the ceiling.

Oliver took advantage of the Slade's momentary shock, knowing that it would only last a few seconds. He loosed an arrow straight for him, another in his hand and fitted on the string before the first had found its target. Slade moved, but not quickly enough. The arrow imbedded itself in his shoulder and he staggered backward. Oliver advanced, joined by Roy, who had been remained in the shadows until this point. Oliver knew Sara was better trained, but Roy had strength to match Slade's. Slade reached up and ripped the arrow from his own body.

"You'll have to do better than that, kid," Slade taunted him.

Oliver aimed directly for the man's head and let another arrow fly. Slade avoided the arrow, but he did go back another few feet. He and Roy drew even to the women, but Oliver resisted looking at Felicity. When he had first come into the room and seen her on her knees with her hands chained above her hand, the rage had built inside of him. Blood had dried on her face and neck; bruises mottled her face and exposed skin. He had forced himself to look away from her then, just as he did now. He couldn't let himself become distracted. This was his only chance; more importantly, it was her only chance. Slade bellowed and advanced toward them. Before Oliver could let another arrow go, Slade grabbed his bow, ripping it from his grip with one hand and throwing it across the room. He grabbed Oliver with the other hand and threw him. Oliver slammed against the brick wall and hit the floor. He looked up to see Roy stepping between the women and Slade. Sara and Digg were there now, desperately trying to free the women from the chains.

"Oliver, we can't get them off!" Sara yelled to him, using her bow staff as a fulcrum.

Oliver was on his feet in seconds, running back toward the fight. As he passed Sara, he held out his hand and she slapped the bow staff into it. Roy slammed his fist into Slade's jaw, knocking him back a foot or so. Oliver took advantage and swung around with the staff, putting his entire weight behind the blow. The staff struck Slade in the head, knocking him to his knees.

"Roy, help the others." Roy didn't hesitate, immediately rushing over to where Diggle and Sara where struggling with the chains.

Oliver wasted no time, swinging the staff again. Slade caught the end of it this time, using it to pull Oliver within range of his fist. The impact lifted Oliver off his feet and through the air. He hit the floor hard, his back taking the brunt of the fall, and slid to rest against the wall.

**Sara helped Laurel** to her feet as soon as Roy had broken the chains that held her. She could hear the fighting in the hall and knew that Nyssa and the other assassins were keeping the rest of Slade's henchmen busy and out of their way. She looked up in time to see Slade throw Oliver across the room as if he were light as a feather. Slade advanced toward them and she knew she wouldn't have time to get Laurel to safety. Roy was still struggling with the chains connected to Felicity. It was time for plan B.

"Digg!" She yelled to get his attention, motioning over his shoulder to the approaching Slade. She stepped around Felicity, positioning herself between her sister and Felicity and the approaching Slade. Digg mirrored her actions, standing shoulder to shoulder with her.

Digg pulled his gun and started firing. Slade moved too quickly though. Digg's bullets thudded against the other's man body, striking him in the shoulder and arm. Before Digg could react, Slade had grabbed the gun, twisting it out of Digg's grasp, before bending his wrist back. Digg heard the bone snap and felt the pain shoot up his arm. Slade's fist connected with Digg's jaw, knocking him back several feet onto the floor. The punch probably would have killed him, but Sara delivered a roundhouse kick to Slade's back at that exact moment, killing some of the momentum of the punch.

Sara resumed a fighting stance as Slade turned back to her. She knew she didn't have much chance against Slade. But if she could keep him busy long enough for Roy to get Laurel and Felicity out, she would be satisfied. She didn't look to where Oliver and Digg lay unconscious around her or at where Laurel stood beside Roy as he struggled with Felicity's chain. No, instead she kept her concentration on Slade.

"You're not the same girl from the island." Slade commented as he approached. "Oliver saved you once, but not today."

"I don't need anyone to save me." She responded, as she crouched low and swung out her leg, attempted to take him down.

She succeeded in knocking him off his feet, but before she could take advantage of it, he struck out with a foot, catching her in the middle of her lower leg. She heard the crack, felt the pain and went down to one knee. Slade jumped to his feet before her. Sara looked past him to Laurel, locking eyes with her, as she prepared for the final blow.

**Roy couldn't get** the chain to break like Laurel's had. The links were loosening though. He could feel it. He tried not to look at what was going on elsewhere in the room, focusing on the chains.

"Roy, Sara now!" Felicity's voice was full of alarm. Roy spun around to see Sara on her knees and Slade before her. "Go!"

Roy tackled Slade from the side, taking him down before he could strike at Sara. They grappled on the floor. Their strength was well matched, but the older man was much better trained. Roy used every bit of street fighting skill he had to try to contain him.

"**Oliver! Please! Get up!" ** Her voice cut through the darkness that surrounded him. He opened his eyes to the nightmare scene before him. He saw Digg unconscious on the floor across the room. An obviously injured Sara was also down, but trying to make her way over to Laurel. Felicity was still chained but struggling against her bonds as she called to him. Roy and Slade were a tangle of limbs as they fought in the center in the room. Even with blood loss from two bullet wounds and an arrow, Slade was quickly over powering him.

Oliver struggled to his feet, his body protesting at the movement. He caught sight of his bow laying off to his right. Slade caught Roy with a fist, knocking him back into the wall, the drywall cracking with the force.

"Glad your back in the game, kid," Slade turned, addressing him. "You didn't make your choice, so now I will." He raised Digg's gun, pointing it toward Felicity and Laurel. "I choose…both!"

From his angle, Oliver couldn't tell who the gun was aimed at. He knew he would never reach Slade in time to stop him from pulling the trigger. He dove across the floor for his bow.

**Felicity had been** struggling against her chains since Roy had left her. He had managed to stretch some of the links and she had more give now than she had had before. She was scraping her wrists raw, but the blood was helping. It made her hands slicker and she was making some progress sliding her hands out of the restraints. She had tried calling to Oliver and was relieved when she saw him move. She kept an eye on Roy and Slade, hoping that the younger man would be able to keep Slade busy for a little longer.

That hope ended when Slade knocked Roy almost through the wall. At least Oliver was on his feet now. Slade went back to taunting Oliver about his choice. Her heart stopped when Slade announced he would make the choice and aimed the gun toward her and Laurel. She pulled harder at her hands, felt them slipping a little more. She glanced up at her hands.

"I choose…both!" She heard his announcement. She looked over to see him level the gun at Laurel.

"No!" She cried, tugging one last time on her hands and felt them slip free of the chain. She threw herself in front of the other woman, attempted to push her out of the way.

**Oliver felt his fingers **close around his bow at the same time he heard Felicity yell. He saw her hands come free of the chains as he grabbed an arrow from the quiver at this back and came up on one knee. He saw her lunge for Laurel, knocking her aside as he let an arrow fly. The sound of the gun firing echoed around the room. Once again he had another on the bowstring and was pulling back before the first arrow hit its target. The first arrow struck the hand holding the gun, throwing off Slade's aim. The second arrow hit Slade square in his chest. The third found its mark in the middle of his forehead. The fourth hit home directly in his heart.

Oliver didn't even wait for Slade's body to fall; he rushed toward where Felicity and Laurel lay unmoving on the floor. He skidded to a halt halfway there, drawing his bow again as figures filled the doorway. Nyssa and her assassins surveyed the room quickly. With a nod of her head, two of her men went to assure Slade's death. Nyssa herself went directly to Sara's side, helping her to her feet and acting as her crutch.

Oliver lowered his bow, dropping it to the ground as he reached the women. He fell to his knees beside Felicity. A splotch of red was spreading across her white shirt over her shoulder. He gently rolled her to her back. He knew Slade was an expert marksman. Even being struck in the hand by an arrow, he had still managed to hit Felicity, although probably not where he had intended. The bullet had passed through her left shoulder.

"Felicity." Her name came out on broken breath, as he smoothed her hair back from her face.

Sara was there now, checking over Laurel, who seemed to be unhurt.

"Oliver, we have to get out of here. The police and fire company will be here any minute from the alarms."

Sara's words struck him as odd for a moment. He realized that although the fighting had seemed to take forever, in reality it had been mere minutes. He looked down at Felicity and realized how much his life could have changed in that very short amount of time.

He gathered Felicity into his arms as gently as he could. His body protested again as he stood with her, but he barely noticed. He couldn't get think of anything past the fact that she was alive. Hurt, yes. But she was alive.

The two assassins with Nyssa were dragging Slade's body from the room. He caught Nyssa's eye and she explained, "We will make sure that he will not be coming back from the dead this time."

"Nyssa, thank you." Oliver knew that without the women's help dealing with the rest of Slade's crew, the outcome most likely would have been very different.

"We are even now, Arrow." Nyssa turned to back to Sara. With Nyssa on one side and Laurel on the other, they assisted Sara out of the room.

Roy had an arm around a now conscious Digg, helping him to leave as well. Despite their injuries, they both grinned at him as they passed.

Oliver tried not to limp as he carried Felicity out behind the others, not wanting to jostle her more than necessary. He looked down to where her head rested against his chest. The relief he felt was overpowering. She was here, in his arms, alive. They would all need patched up once they got back to the foundry, but they had all made it. Everyone he cared about was alive. He was going to have the chance to set things right with Felicity after all. He couldn't hold back the smile as he exited the building with her.


	5. Chapter 5

"Sara, you're going to have to go to the hospital." Digg continued as Sara shook her head, "I can't fix this down here. This isn't the type of break that I can just set."

"But-" Sara started, before being cut off.

"Sara, listen to Diggle." Oliver came over, stepping away from where Felicity lay sleeping on the sofa. All things considered, they had come through the fight better than expected. Somehow Digg had walked away with a dislocated wrist, rather than a fracture. He also had a suspected concussion, as did Oliver. Sara's leg was broken and requiring more skill than Diggle possessed. Roy was a mass of bruises, but was already healing. They were all moving slower than usual, their bodies protesting the abuse they had been put through.

"And what am I supposed to tell the doctors about how I broke my leg?" Sara questioned, looking around the room.

"We'll think of something." Roy assured her, as he wrapped a supporting arm around her, helping her to stand.

In the end it was decided that Roy would take her to the hospital. They would call Detective Lance on the way. Once he arrived at the hospital, Roy would leave to go be with Thea. Oliver shook his head as he overheard Roy explaining to Sara his idea to tell the hospital staff how she had been kicked by a horse as he helped her up the stairs. He looked at Diggle with a raised eyebrow and the other man chuckled softly. Considering what they did everyday, they really did suck at cover stories.

"Digg, thank you for everything you did today. You shouldn't have had to fight Slade." Oliver stuck out a hand toward the other man. Digg grasped his hand in a firm shake.

"A brother never lets another brother go into battle alone, " Digg reminded him. "We need to expand that saying to include sisters." Digg motioned to the sleeping form of Felicty.

Oliver's eyes went to her immediately. For all their bruises and injuries, Felicity's were far worse. Her entire jaw was black and blue from where Slade had backhanded her. She had a cut across her cheek that once cleaned, was not as deep as he had originally feared. Her wrists, now cleaned and bandaged, had been scraped raw and bleeding from the chains. She was bruised over one entire side of her rib cage. Digg and Oliver had wrapped her ribs to try to give her some relief. They had put her arm in a sling and secured it to her body to immobilize her shoulder. She had woken for a short time when they had reached the foundry, but was out again after taking some of the "aspirins" Digg had provided. She had said very little about what had happened to her while she was with Slade. He hadn't pushed, instead concentrating on taking stock of her injuries and doing what he could to make her more comfortable.

"It's kind of amazing everything she accomplished with the computers knowing how badly she was hurt." Digg commented. Oliver could see the same sorrow he felt reflected in Digg's face. They had vowed to protect Felicity when she had joined their team. She was never supposed to have known this type of torment.

"You'll call me if she needs anything?" Digg's question was more of a statement of demand, than an actual question. He didn't ask if Oliver was going to stay with her, the answer was readily apparent.

"Are you sure you're okay to go home by yourself?" Oliver watched Digg carefully for any signs of a concussion.

"I won't be by myself." Digg answered with a smile.

Oliver grinned back at him, clapping a hand on his shoulder, as he replied, "Say hello to Lyla for me."

"Take good care of her Oliver," Digg told him in parting.

Oliver watched as Digg took the steps to leave. Of all the questionable things he had done in his life, he wasn't sure what he had done to deserve this group of friends. These people were willing to risk their lives for him, and he for them. It was a humbling feeling.

**Felicity opened her eyes **to see Oliver slumped in her computer chair. He had rolled it over beside her and propped his feet up on edge of the sofa. She looked down to where his hand was lightly wrapped around her own.

_Well that's different_, she thought.

"Oliver," her voice came out in a hoarse whisper. Her mouth was so dry and she realized how thirsty she was.

Oliver's eyes came open the second she said his name. He shot upright in the chair, his feet hitting the floor with a thud.

"Hey," his voice was soft, his eyes filled with concern, "How are you feeling?"

"Thirsty." He smiled at her reply before going to get her a drink. He came back with a bottle of water and helped her into a sitting position. She had never thought water would taste so good. She surveyed the room as she swallowed.

"Where is everyone? Are they ok?" She started to sit up more, worry evident in her voice.

Oliver gently pushed her back down onto the sofa before answering. "Everyone made it out. Sara's leg is broken. She had to go to the hospital. Digg's wrist was dislocated and a possible concussion. Roy was pretty beat up, but he'll heal quickly enough. I'm a little banged up, but I'll live too," he picked up her hand again, holding it firmly in his, "Everything you did Felicity, it helped give us an edge over Slade."

"I wanted to try to help." Felicity looked down again at their joined hands, tugging slightly on her own. She was surprised when he didn't release her hand. "Oliver, you need to go be with Sara at the hospital."

"Roy took her. Her Dad is going to meet them there. I needed to be here with you." Felicity succeeded in pulling her hand out of his grasp and he frowned. "Felicity, look at you. Why did you fight him?"

Felicity raised a hand to her face self-consciously, running her fingers gently over the bandage on her cheek. She didn't touch her jaw where Slade had hit her. She felt the soreness with every movement she made while talking.

"I didn't want to help him talk to you Oliver. I knew what he was going to say to you. But when he started to hurt Laurel," her voice caught and she looked down, but not before Oliver saw the glimmer of tears in her eyes, "I couldn't stop him."

"What did he do to you Felicity?" She heard the roughness in his voice and knew that he would blame himself for whatever Slade had done to her.

"It doesn't matter now Oliver. It's over. We won." She said, shaking her head.

"Whether you tell me or not, I can see the damage. Your jaw, your cheek, not mention all the bruising on your ribs. I would guess he kicked you a couple of times." Oliver paused as she looked down at her hands that she had folded in her lap. "What about your shoulder?"

"He dislocated it," she saw Oliver wince and she tried to lighten the moment, continuing with a wry grin, "But he did put it back in."

"Not funny." Oliver replied, no hint of a smile on his face. "We need to talk about something."

Felicity had a pretty good idea what he was going to say and she cut him off abruptly.

"No, Oliver." She shook her head as she spoke. "Everything worked out. There's no point in rehashing anything."

"No point?" Oliver practically yelled at her as he jumped to his feet, pacing in front of her. "You wanted me to sacrifice you to save Laurel! What would make you think I would ever agree to that?"

"I didn't want you to have make that choice," she explained in a voice so quiet that Oliver quit pacing to focus on her, "I know how hard it is for you to live with Shado's death and you didn't even make that choice. Slade was going to make you choose this time or he was going to kill me and Laurel."

"So you thought...I don't know, what...that it would be easier for me to lose you than Laurel?" he asked the question with such incredulity in his voice that she was silent for a moment.

"It's Laurel. You've loved her forever. She got you through five years on the island. If you weren't the Arrow right now, you would probably be with her. And now Sara is back. She's her sister. I knew Sara would want to save her," She put a hand up to silence him when he started to speak. Her eyes flashed to his and he was glad to see the spark of defiance back in them. "You wanted to talk about this. Let me finish." Oliver nodded his assent and she continued. "I don't hold it against Sara. Laurel is her sister. It was the only choice she could make. Slade knew that. And I couldn't stand the thought of poor Officer Lance going through the death of another daughter."

"So you thought about Sara and about Officer Lance. What about me? What about Diggle? Did you think of that?" He tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but he knew he failed. But it was killing him that she so willingly faced death.

"Are you kidding me?" Felicity struggled to her feet, wincing as she felt every bruise and contusion. Oliver reached out a hand to help her and she jerked away from his touch. "You are the reason I did it in the first place!"

Oliver paled at her admission and she was quick to explain.

"Oliver, this wasn't your fault. I made the decision, on my own. Yeah, it would have been great to not have to have made it at all, but that's on Slade, not you." She walked over to stand in front of him. "I couldn't let you make a choice like that. I knew it what it would do to you. I knew it was going to end badly no matter what happened and I didn't want you to have that guilt."

Oliver turned away from her, scrubbing a hand over his face. Felicity took a step closer, placing her hand on the middle of his back. The solid warmth under her hand gave her the strength to continue.

"I know you care about me, but I couldn't let you lose Sara and Laurel. And that's what would have happened. I mean, I'm not trying to say you would have picked me over Laurel," she knew she was starting to ramble, but couldn't seem to make herself stop. "But if you didn't choose, he was going to kill us both. And if Laurel had been killed, you would have lost Sara too. I didn't want you to have to go through that."

Her voice trailed off, her hand dropping to her side as he whirled to face her. He was too close to her and she had to tilt her head up to look at him. Oliver was an expert at the poker face. He rarely showed emotion, but as he stared down at her she could read the very real distress visible on his face. He reached out placing his hand on her uninjured shoulder. His other hand came up to rest gently against her bruised cheek.

"How could you think that I would pick anyone over you? Felicity..." He swallowed, looking up at the ceiling for a moment before focusing on her face again, "I would have died before I let anything happen to you. When I saw you on that monitor with Slade, when he hit you, I've never felt that kind of rage and hopelessness before in my whole life, even on the island. And then you were taking all those crazy chances and I thought I wouldn't get there in time..." the words choked off and he pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her gently. He rested his head on top of hers, just enjoying the feeling of having her against him.

Felicity was shocked when he pulled her against him, but she relaxed against his body. Letting his heat seep into her, making her shiver slightly. His hand stroked slowly up and down her back.

"I don't ever want you to take chances like that again. When I entered that room and I saw you there, chained up. I could only focus on you Felicity. I care about Laurel, I love her. I love Sara. But at that moment, you were the only one on my mind. I had to force myself not to look at you, not to be distracted. I never had to fight myself so hard to stay focused in a battle as I did then."

"Oliver, don't-" her voice was muffled against his chest.

"No, I let you finish. Now it's my turn. I would never make a choice between two lives Felicity. But I would give my own for you." He heard her gasp and loosened his hold on her when she pulled back. Her head tiltled up and her shocked gaze came up to meet his.

"Why?" The question came out on a breath.

"Because I love you." He replied simply. "I thought if I kept my feelings to myself it would protect you. That to admit the truth would put a target on you. It didn't matter." She watched him as he paused, afraid to say or do anything that would make him stop. Oliver didn't usually open up and she didn't want to be the one who stopped him. "I love you Felicity."

He couldn't help but grin as Felicity's mouth fell open and her eyes went wide. She stared up at him, speechless.

"No response?" he questioned.

"I think I was less shocked when Slade kidnapped me." She blurted out, blushing when he raised when eyebrow. She could see the smile ghosting the sides of his mouth.

"But..what...wait, Sara?" she stuttered, wishing that she could be a little smoother after the man she had secretly been in love with forever just admitted his feelings.

"Sara and I talked before we came to get you. She already knew how I felt about you, had figured it out for herself. She actually told me that when we got you back, I was supposed to step up and not waste my second chance." His lips formed a full fledged smile this time. "She's actually going to try to work on things with Nyssa."

"I owe you an apology Felicity. I should have been with you this whole time. That's not to say I don't care about Sara, I do. But she's not the one I really wanted to be with. I just..." Oliver sighed, "I just wanted to protect you. I thought that by not getting involved with you, that you would be safer."

"Oliver, you can't protect everyone. Shouldn't it be my choice if I want to take that chance?" Felicity looked up him, her face beaming. "Some things are worth taking chances for."

"So, am I worth taking a chance on?" He questioned her, as his thumb stroked across her cheek. His arm tightened around her back, pulling her back up against him.

"Yes." She barely got the word out before his lips settled against hers.


	6. Chapter 6

**The last chapter was supposed to be the last one, but I wanted Diggle to find out that they were together now. So I know this is short, but I hope you enjoy it. I hope you enjoyed my story! Thanks for reading.**

"So they really told the hospital staff that she got kicked by a horse?" Oliver couldn't help shaking his head as he asked the question. He could feel Felicity's body shaking next to his with her silent laughter.

Diggle had shown up this morning with an update on Sara. He had found Oliver and Felicity asleep on the sofa, her head on his chest and his arms wrapped around her. Digg wasn't sure how things would work with Oliver and Felicity being together, but if they were going to give it a try then he was glad. He liked Sara, but he didn't like her with Oliver. They both had too much darkness in them. Oliver needed someone like Felicity to even him out. He had wondered what it would take to make Oliver finally act upon his feelings. It had been obvious to Digg for a long time now that Oliver had feelings for the blonde IT girl. Felicity's feelings had been evident for a lot longer than that. Oliver and Felicity were like his family. He wanted them to be happy. He had a feeling that that might be possible for them together.

"Yeah. Sara said the poor nurse just looked at them like they were crazy, but she wrote it down in the chart." Digg shook his head as he took a seat across from them. "Are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital?"

Diggle had time now to really assess the woman's injuries in the light of day. Bruises extended the length of her jawline on one side. Her cheek was swollen, but no blood showed through the bandage they had applied last night. Her arm was still in the sling and immobilized to her body. He couldn't see her ribs, but the the slowness of her movements belied the pain she was in. His gaze flicked down to where Oliver held her uninjured hand, his thumb rubbing lightly over her knuckles. He looked back up at Felicity's face and noticed the sparkle in her eye despite her injuries. Glancing at Oliver, he saw a lightness about the man that he hadn't thought he would ever see.

"No. I feel better this morning. There's nothing they would do for me at the hospital that you didn't do last night." Felicity smiled at Digg and chuckled a little, "You've probably stitched up more gun shot wounds than they have anyway."

"I could live without having to stitch you up again." Digg replied, noticing the way Oliver grimaced at the reminder that she had been shot. "Anyway, the most awkward part of being in the hospital for Sara was probably when Nyssa showed up while her parents were there."

Digg's voice trailed off and they were all silent for a minute letting that information sink in. The last time Sara's parents had seen Nyssa, she had tried to kill them.

"That was when I left." Digg told them with a grin, "I would almost rather face Slade again than sit through that."

"Poor Sara. It's going to be hard to get them all to move on from that." Felicity tugged her hand from Oliver's as she spoke and used it to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Oliver took her hand in his again the second she was done.

"Speaking of moving on..." Digg couldn't help mentioning it, a grin tipping up the corners of his mouth as Felicity blushed. Oliver shot him a warning glare which Digg studiously ignored. "What's this all about?" He gestured toward their entwined hands.

"Oliver...I...well, he and I..." Felicity stammered, flustered, before giving up and looking at Oliver. He couldn't help but smile at her pinkening cheeks. He took pity on her and turned to answer Digg's question.

"I finally realized what was right in front of me this whole time." He told the other man, squeezing Felicity's hand gently. "When I thought I had lost her...everything became really clear really fast."

Digg didn't joke or laugh. He didn't even crack a smile. He only nodded, adding under his breath, "It's about time."


End file.
